Proposed Ellis settlement was smaller than jury award

Posted at: 03/17/2013 3:41 PM
By: The Associated Press

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) - The family of an Iraq War veteran who was fatally shot by a police officer wanted to settle a lawsuit against the city of Albuquerque for $1 million before a judge ruled in February that the veteran was unlawfully killed.

Instead, the case went to trial, and the family of Kenneth Ellis III was awarded more than $10 million by a jury Friday.

Ellis was shot during a standoff in front of a convenience store in 2010.

Ellis suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder. Jurors found that the city was negligent in the supervision and retention of the officer who fatally shot Ellis and that another officer used excessive force in stopping Ellis the day of the shooting.

Lampiris-Tremba was cleared of wrongdoing by police internal affairs and a grand jury.

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